Why is anxiety harmful




















Major Anxiety Disorders Include: Generalised Anxiety Disorder GAD , is when you get anxious about most every day situations and are unable to remember the last time you were in a relaxed mental state. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder OCD can cause a person to have obsessive, intrusive thoughts that can be distressing; or an overwhelming desire or compulsion to perform a routine repeatedly. This could be reflected in his or her habits, be it cleaning or washing hands unnecessarily, arranging items in a drawer in a certain way, folding away clothes, etc.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD , caused after a particularly stressful period such as being in a war zone, surviving an attack or a tragic accident, or incident due to a natural disaster, and so on. Phobias, experienced due to an excessive and irrational fear of a creature, place or event, such as bees, spiders, heights, the dark, tight spaces, fire, and so on.

Panic Attacks , cause irrational and heightened anxiety periods accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, cold hands and feet, inability to breathe or hyperventilate, etc. Here are 7 such effects: Respiratory Problems When a person is anxious, his or her breathing becomes short, shallow and rapid. Gastrointestinal Disorders Anxiety and constant worry can lead to chronic digestion and excretory problems, such as stomach pains, excessing bloating or abdominal cramping, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome, vomiting, and so on.

Immune System Frequent stress hormones and coping with the fight or flight response may not allow your body to return to its normal rested state, leaving your immune system vulnerable to illness and viral infections. Heart Disease Heart palpitations and rapid breathing patterns are commonly experienced during a bout of anxiety. Muscle Tension and Chronic Pain Frequent distress signals from your amygdala to your central nervous system to prepare for a stress response can cause your muscles to contract, or tighten very often.

Memory Loss If you are a constant worrier or suffer from a generalised anxiety disorder, it may also impact your short-term or working memory. Weight Gain When you get anxious repeatedly, your brain floods your body with hormones of adrenalin and cortisol. Medanta Medical Team.

Follow this discussion - on. Follow this discussion - off. Follow this discussion. Notify of. Try to seek professional help before your anxiety becomes severe — it may be easier to treat early on. As with many mental health conditions, the cause of generalized anxiety disorder likely arises from a complex interaction of biological and environmental factors, which may include:. Women are diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder somewhat more often than men are. The following factors may increase the risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder:.

Generalized anxiety disorder can also lead to or worsen other physical health conditions, such as:. Generalized anxiety disorder often occurs along with other mental health problems, which can make diagnosis and treatment more challenging. Some mental health disorders that commonly occur with generalized anxiety disorder include:. There's no way to predict for certain what will cause someone to develop generalized anxiety disorder, but you can take steps to reduce the impact of symptoms if you experience anxiety:.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview It's normal to feel anxious from time to time, especially if your life is stressful.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Generalized anxiety disorder. Arlington, Va. Accessed June 26, Gabbard GO, ed. Generalized anxiety disorder. In: Gabbard's Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. Baldwin D. Generalized anxiety disorder in adults: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, course, assessment, and diagnosis.

Craske M, et al. You can also learn about stress and explore different ways you can manage it. Being aware of how your thoughts can influence your anxiety is an important step towards managing it. It can help you understand what contributes to your anxiety and what your triggers are. This can help you to handle them differently and learn new ways to respond. Learn more about unhelpful thoughts. It might work in the short-term, but over time it can make your anxiety feel worse.

Learn some skills to cope with anxiety, like helpful self-talk and relaxation, then gradually face the things you fear and put your skills into action. Lots of anxiety symptoms involve a cycle of physical sensations — pounding heart, shortness of breath, trembling and butterflies in the stomach.

Working on slowing your breathing is a good way to try to interrupt that cycle. There are many apps that can help with this; you might want to try Breathe2Relax. While alcohol and other drugs might help you to feel good in the short term, they can make you feel much worse in the longer term.

There are lots of ways to limit your alcohol and other drug use. Many young people experiencing an anxiety disorder may also experience symptoms of depression. This can make things much more confusing. For some people, using these tips will be enough to manage symptoms of anxiety. But if anxiety is impacting on your life i.

For more information or support find your nearest centre or contact eheadspace , our phone and online service. Kids Helpline: kidshelpline. ReachOut: reachout. SANE Australia: sane. Lifeline: A hour crisis service: lifeline. These include unhelpful thoughts, problem solving and being kind to yourself. You can join the chat or view the transcripts. Log in or create a headspace website account to see what chats are coming up or happening now. The headspace Clinical Reference Group oversee and approve clinical resources made available on this website.



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